Nicholls students turn trash to art

Monday

Dec 29, 2008 at 3:00 PM

Picking up trash might not seem like much of an education, but a program at Nicholls State University is banking on it being just that.The Marine Debris Becomes Art with a Message is designed to accomplish a number of worthwhile goals, and we’re happy to see Nicholls State embracing it.Through a grant from the University of Louisiana System, Nicholls students will collect trash and debris at Grand Isle State Park and turn the trash into art.Not only will the program reward the students for removing an eyesore and potential hazard, its effects should be much broader.First, students will get a good lesson in the value of volunteering and will see firsthand the important work that even a few students can have on the world around them.Second, they will help catalog the types and amounts of trash they collect, information that will be compiled into a database to help show the impact of litter on our coast.Third and most importantly, the program will meld education with public service -- a lesson that could have far-reaching effects on the next generation of leaders.Our area is one that values the economic significance of our waterways.Many of our people make their livings on the water and depend upon healthy, bountiful fisheries.We also see through our own eyes the potential hazard created by litter and other debris. A boat propeller caught on an abandoned crab trap, for instance, can be an expensive lesson on the impact of litter. Striking a submerged object can result in the loss of life.No one expects the Nicholls students who take part in the Marine Debris Becomes Art with a Message to solve all of the problems afflicting our area’s waterways.What is important, though, is that they see what effects the litter has, they take action to make the situation better and that they get a lesson in the impact we can have on the world around us.So perhaps picking up litter at Grand Isle isn’t educational in itself. But as part of a program with such noble goals, it is a great educational experience.We congratulate Nicholls State for taking part in this effort and we look forward to seeing some of the art that results from it.More importantly, we eagerly anticipate the circumspection and respect for service that this program is sure to instill. There is no way to measure it, but it will surely be felt.

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